Evening, one and all.
There are times, it would seem, that I make a plea for the obvious choice. That I take something solid and hold it up, saying "See? Solid," as though it's some grand pronouncement. I do this not out of a sense of self-satisfying delusion, but because while something is solid we forget that it is solid. That's a big reason of why I do this every day. There's just so much amazing music out there that some of the stuff that has been vetted and adored becomes neglected, relegated to Best-of lists but never really listened to. Hopefully I can get you to dust out these gems and give them a real examination, together seeing what all the fuss was about.
Today is one of those days.
Bjork, despite the jokes people make about her eccentric personality or unusual vocals, is an incredibly talented and undeniably unique presence in the world of music. I've written about the genius of her 1997 release Homogenic here, and that stands out as a master work. As much as I love that album, there is an earlier, equally celebrated album of hers that holds a more special place in my heart. Her 1993 work, Debut, will always represent something much larger to me, something somehow more hip and urbane. It is something I listen to that still has the same effect on my head now, all these years later, as when I first purchased it.
As I've written great lengths on, growing up in a rural Middle Western town afford little in the ways of the hip and urbane. The simple act of wearing one's hair longer than their ear earned scorn and taunting. So a dude like myself, inclined to writing, reading and unusual music was not likely to have a great deal of exposure to things that excited him. I did the best I could, given the circumstances, which resulted in a lot of grunge and alt-rock, Nirvana, Pumpkins, STP. Even those standards earned derision, though. Having no internet (at least in its modern form) compounded the problem; I didn't even realize how isolated I was, at the time. MTV, Rolling Stone and Spin were the sole bastions of the larger musical world for a long, long time. Now imagine reading a music mag and not being able to Google or Youtube everything you see. Imagine reading a magazine, period. I count myself lucky for turning out as well as I have. 'But Bon Iver hails from the next town over!' you might object, to which I would counter this was almost 20 years ago, when there was no segmenting of music audiences and no one gave a crap about indie.
Occasionally, though, there would be these flashes or snippets of something, just these fleeting glimpses of a little pixie woman bobbing around excitedly and dancing to something not-quite-techno but not quiet anything else. I would see logos for her album(s) in print, or a glimpse of her video on Beavis & Butthead when I could sneak an episode or two. It all added up to something mysterious and tragically hip. Even her name was unusual - Bjork. I had no idea how to pronounce it. So this little bug gets into my head that Bjork somehow represents the larger world, the big city where things happen and people dress well and don't punch each other over accusations of a lack masculinity. Years passed before I would have the occasion to dig in, though.
On a whim in high school while shopping for CDs I realized I had never looked into Bjork, so I picked up Homogenic. It was magnificent. It was revelatory. It was not enough, and not quite what I thought it would be. So I dug for more. Less than a month after I fell in love with Homogenic I went out and picked up Debut. This was the album that clicked with me. Much more subdued, or perhaps just less aggressive and intense than Homogenic, it was a serene experience for my ears. I loved the sounds put down on this record. It quickly became the album to put on when driving home at night, the 20 minute drive into the countryside to my parents home transforming into contemplative journeys.
Another excellent album I adore produced by Nellee Hooper, Debut is quite electronic. In contrast to the production, however, is Bjork's exceedingly vibrant voice, the machine and human contrasting so well. While there are a handful of Euro-pop dance numbers ('Big Time Sensuality' 'Human Behaviour' 'Violently Happy') there are also a good number of subdued, trip-hop tunes ('Venus As A Boy' 'One Day' 'Aeroplane') as well as a couple jazz numbers ('Like Someone In Love' 'The Anchor Song'). While the album has drawn criticism for these changes in sound (even from Bjork herself) I still get a sense of cohesion from them, that there's a common thread to the songs. To me they're relaxing, soothing. They feel like wrapping my mind in a warm towel. It's not her most adventurous work, but I like that it sets a base level, establishing who she was after The Sugarcubes dissolved.
Debut is a phenomenal album that everyone ought to listen to again. It's critically hailed now, of course, but who ever goes back to listen to the established hits? I love it - both the sound and the feeling it gives me. Riding the bus downtown to my office this morning, I realized as I listened to it that I have become the person I used to wish I could be. This album reminds me of that success. Hopefully you'll find as much joy in it as I still do.
There are times, it would seem, that I make a plea for the obvious choice. That I take something solid and hold it up, saying "See? Solid," as though it's some grand pronouncement. I do this not out of a sense of self-satisfying delusion, but because while something is solid we forget that it is solid. That's a big reason of why I do this every day. There's just so much amazing music out there that some of the stuff that has been vetted and adored becomes neglected, relegated to Best-of lists but never really listened to. Hopefully I can get you to dust out these gems and give them a real examination, together seeing what all the fuss was about.
Today is one of those days.
Bjork, despite the jokes people make about her eccentric personality or unusual vocals, is an incredibly talented and undeniably unique presence in the world of music. I've written about the genius of her 1997 release Homogenic here, and that stands out as a master work. As much as I love that album, there is an earlier, equally celebrated album of hers that holds a more special place in my heart. Her 1993 work, Debut, will always represent something much larger to me, something somehow more hip and urbane. It is something I listen to that still has the same effect on my head now, all these years later, as when I first purchased it.
Debut is a phenomenal album that everyone ought to listen to again. It's critically hailed now, of course, but who ever goes back to listen to the established hits? I love it - both the sound and the feeling it gives me. Riding the bus downtown to my office this morning, I realized as I listened to it that I have become the person I used to wish I could be. This album reminds me of that success. Hopefully you'll find as much joy in it as I still do.
